Kemal Kılıcdaroglu finally revealed

Republican People’s Party (CHP) İstanbul deputy Kemal Kılıcdaroglu finally revealed his intentions yesterday to run for party leadership in the CHP’s upcoming general assembly. Ever since Deniz Baykal resigned in the wake of a sex scandal, there has been constant debate on the possible candidates for his post and whether Baykal could return.

Many who question Kılıcdaroglu’s chances of assuming the CHP leadership say his Alevi and Kurdish roots may turn out to be an obstacle to him being elected. In addition, many believe that Baykal still has an eye on his former seat and will return. In consideration of this, even if the CHP would have a better chance of being successful in the elections by reaching out to different segments of society under Kılıcdaroglu, it seems unlikely that he will become the new leader because the current CHP structure only allows Baykal to lead the party.

Milliyet’s Aslı Aydıntaşbaş focuses on a campaign launched within the CHP against Kılıcdaroglu’s candidacy due to his Alevi roots, which she says does not befit a party like the CHP. Referring to statements Baykal made to the Radikal daily over the weekend, saying that he cares very much about not letting certain ethnic origins dominate the CHP, Aydıntaşbaş interprets these statements as Baykal saying that if he does not return to the CHP, ethnicity will control the party.

“In other words, Baykal is talking about the possibility of Kılıcdaroglu, who is an Alevi from Tunceli and half Kurdish, turning the CHP into a Kurdish and Alevi party. This is wrong,” she says. In her view, the biggest opposition to Kılıcdaroglu’s candidacy within the CHP is due to Kılıcdaroglu’s Alevi roots, which they think will make him a weak rival to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in terms of his powers of representation.

Aydıntaşbaş accuses CHP members who are against Kılıcdaroglu’s candidacy because of his roots of being unfair to him as she says he is a politician who does not hide his ethnic identity and has so far never politicized it. “Attacking Kılıcdaroglu because of his Alevi identity is inappropriate and does not befit the CHP,” Aydıntaşbaş says.

According to Bugün’s Adem Yavuz Arslan, media outlets promoting Kılıcdaroglu’s candidacy are simply being idealistic. Yavuz says he believes his run for party chairman will not come to fruition, not because Kılıcdaroglu does not deserve the post but because he does not expect the CHP to leave the party leadership to Kılıcdaroglu, although he is certain to bring more votes to the party than the party’s outgoing leader, Baykal.

He thinks Baykal is very keen to return to his former role and that his resignation was a tactical maneuver. “Since Baykal was the architect of the CHP, the main opposition party cannot be without him. Even if he is behind the scenes, the situation is that the CHP equals Baykal,” says Arslan.

F Disli Zibak reported for Todays Zaman

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Category: NATIONAL